See Christian Bale as a Smoking Priest in China's Best Foreign Film Race Entry, "Flowers of War"

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UPDATE: Wrekin Hill Entertainment has announced that "Flowers of War" is this year’s official foreign language entry for China at the Academy Awards, and will be released in late Decmeber in NYC, LA and SF so that it qualifies.

Christian Bale as a priest trying to save a group of women from the Rape of Nanking in a Chinese-made film that's 60% Mandarin Chinese? Best of luck to the PR firm that lands this account!

"The Flowers of War" stars Bale as John Magee, an American priest in 1937 Naking, which is under the imminent threat of a Japanese invasion. They showed 20 minutes of this to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it has been submitted as China entry into the Foreign film race for this year's Oscars.

Here's the official synopsis of the film from back when it was still called "13 Flowers of Nanking":

13 Flowers of Nanjing is set in 1937 in Nanjing, China during Sino-Japanese War, where a few brave refugees find sanctuary in a Church compound. The group, thrown together by the terrible chaos of war, risks their lives for the Church’s school children as they struggle to survive the violence and persecution brought on by the violent invasion of the city. Through tremendous adversity, heroism presents itself among the least likely individuals as they bravely navigate their treacherous surroundings to try and save themselves and each other. 13 Flowers of Nanjing is a story of heroism and love: for those around you, for one’s family, and the love between an unlikely couple which fate brings together. Christian Bale will play John, an American, trapped thousands of miles from home and seemingly, with nowhere to turn.

We've got our doubts about this one, take a look and see for yourself.

Published at 9:23 AM EST on Nov 8, 2011 | Updated at 2:47 PM EDT on May 30, 2012